chalco hills recreation area

Chalco Hills is the best in-town hiking opportunities, if not the best. Outside of town, Fontanelle Forest and Neale Woods are the best local hikes. By hiking, I do not mean going under power lines, next to a busy road or walking around houses. Chalco Hills has a variety of ecosystems you can hike around. There is a main trail around the lake. There is also some trails that are mowed that are more quiet and you never see anyone on. The lake is very nice and maintained well. This is a not a city lake or park, and you can tell by the care they put into it. There are many playgrounds for the kids, at a few sites. If you have dogs, this is a great place to walk them. As a nature lover and wildlife enthusiast, this is one of the few local lakes to have some areas of restored prairie, wetlands and even native trees. Wildlife is abundant for a lake in city limits. Easily the best in town. I hear the fishing is great for an in-town lake, but I have never tried it here. Definitely worth the hike. I routinely take students out to the lake for guided botany trips, and the diversity is quite good.

We had a great time and very much enjoyed a walk in this area. ..............we were very lucky and had a great day to visit this destination.

A great place for a jog, a bike ride or to wet a line. Large enough to be uncrowded and small enough to enjoy it all in a day. Good pan fishing, great trails and plenty of wildlife in the city.

Great to walk and bike. The building is beautiful. Be sure to check out the Water Festival!! Canoeing, snakes, turtles, climbing tower, free hot dogs and cookies from HyVee, displays and exhibits, plus kid activities and handouts on water!

We had our family pictures professionally done at Chalco Hills and really enjoyed the scenery and views. Lots of options for pictures and hiking. Diverse plant and tree life for those interested in exploring. Clean and well kept.

My only suggestion is to put up maps (signs) or offer them (brochures)... we got lost walking around the lake.

Chalco Hills is a great hiking area in the city limits. Off all the city parks, this one is the cleanest. It has a paved nice trail around the lake. The bonus is a great tree and plant diversity for botany nerds like me. Not every too busy on the main trails. The real beauty is in on the less traveled, mowed trails through the prairie. It is quiet, does not seem like the city and has a great plant diversity. The lake itself has great fishing. It is a fun place for a kayak, because there are are not too many boaters.

Chalco is one of the nicer places to walk in Omaha. It is close to our house so we go there frequently. There is a leash-free dog area so you can actually walk with your dog (unlike some of the other dog parks where there is a leash-free area, but no trail). There are several issues with the trail: it becomes a mud pit after rain, the trail is very steep in some areas and the rangers took out a ton of trees last year so it is not as attractive as it used to be. Another issue is the dog poop. Fellow dog walkers - please pick up after your dog!!! There are lots of other places to walk with your leashed dog that are just lovely. There is lots of wildlife (deer, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, owls and hawks to name a few). I have taken my kids to the small playgrounds, had a wonderful tour from one of the guides for our 4H group and generally walk there a few times a week. If you have kids, you have to go to the very end of the park and visit the nome/fairy houses. It is just delightful.

I enjoy a run around Chalco hills. The paved trail is approximately 6 miles around the lake or 4 miles if you take the "short cut" bridge. There is always wildlife including deer and turkey. It is not crowded after work on weekdays but there is usually enough other people that I feel safe and not alone. The only draw back are the dog walkers that let their dog poop on the trail and then don't clean it up.

I personally think this is the best place to bike and walk your dods in the Omaha area. There are no houses around and it is very peaceful.

such a pretty park. it's maintained so well, and the amount of nature it features -- birds, grasses, water, animals, -- all right in the middle of the suburban area is fun to see and enjoy. thanks!

Nice series of walking/biking trails. Deer and various other wildlife species. Nice lake for fishing from the shore as well as on water. Picnic areas and covered shelters. Playgrounds for kids. Seems very safe. Nice to be away from the sounds of the city without traveling far.

Today we had a husky huddle and malamute mingle (H2M2) hike at Chalco Hills. We went around 10 in the morning to avoid a lot of traffic. It was amazing! The view was fabulous, the weather was decent, and we all had a good time. HOWEVER, there were some very rude people there. One man in particular sped past us on his bike not once, not twice, but four times. Never slowing down, never moving over, and never calling out to us to let us know he was coming. There were 5 dogs there, so it was not easy to drag them all out of the way at the last second. Also, a lot of people apparently don't know you are supposed to pick up your dogs poop, so watch out for that off the sides of the sidewalk. Other then that, I definitely recommend this place for a nice little getaway!

We live very close to Chalco Hills Rec Area. I love to go out in the early mornings to take our dog for a walk. A few great paved trails to choose from depending on how far you want to go. Their is also mowed cross country trails available too. The boat launch parking lot & ramp are always clean and easy access for small fishing boats. A few good picnic areas with shelter for families that would like to go out to grill. Definitely a wonderful place to try.

Chalco HIlls has considerably less foot traffic than Lake Zorinsky and yet, I feel is a better option. there are a couple hills which add another cardio element if you are walking or biking around and the wildlife you see is plentiful at all times of the year! Its a great place to relax!